October!
by chramozoner
Summary: Life hasn't exacly been smooth for October. First, she's stuck with a weird name. And now, even her only relations are sending her away because they want to go on a vacation. No, seriously. How Sue-ish is that? KaidohXOC, because Kaidoh needs more love.
1. October Makes Her Appearance

Disclaimer: No own, no sue.

Summary: Life hasn't exacly been smooth for October. First, she's stuck with a weird name. And now, even her only relations are sending her away because they want to go on a vacation! No, seriously. How Sue-ish is that? KaidohXOC, because Kaidoh needs more love.

The room, sparsely furnished, was lit by the pale white moonlight. It washed over everything, from the messy desk to the creaking closet to finally fall upon the still figure lying on the bed. All was silent. Not even a chirping cricket, or even the soft wing beats of a solitary nocturnal bird disturbed the quietness. It settled itself snugly over the contents of the room. However, the peacefulness was quickly shattered by a strangled cry from the occupant of the room.

October sat up, panting heavily. After finally calming down after a while, she said to herself, "Well. That sure was one heck of a scary dream."

Glancing at the clock, she realized that it was three o'clock in the morning.

"Great," she sighed, "All the more fun for me." Then, pushing aside her blanket, the girl got off the bed and padded softly out of her room. Trying her best to keep as quiet as possible, October entered the washroom and closed the door carefully after her. She splashed her face with the water from the faucet, and glanced up at the mirror. A pale, wide-eyed girl with heavy bags stared back at her.

October stared at the imaged before her and murmured, "This better be as haggard as I can get. I don't want to end up looking like an old woman and end up frightening my home-stay family tomorrow."

On the other side of the globe, the Kaidoh household is bustling with activity. Mrs. Kaidoh busily put all the dishes on the table while Mr. Kaidoh fishes around the room for his tie. The Kaidoh brothers are slightly more organized, as the older one pulls out his chair at the table and the younger one walk tiredly to breakfast.

"Oh dear, look at the time! I'll be off first, bye Hana, Kaoru, Kyo!" Mr. Kaidoh pecked his wife distractedly on the cheek and rushed out of the door.

"Honey! What about breakfast?" Cried the distressed Mrs. Kaidoh.

"I'll grab something on the way to work!" came the already distant voice of Mr. Kaidoh.

Kaoru glanced at his watch, and stood up, heading for the door, "I'm leaving."

"Already, Kaoru? Can't you wait for Kyo? He needs to go to school early for his fieldtrip today, too."

The younger brother piped up, "It's ok, mama. I want to finish my miso soup anyway. Niichan can go first."

Kaoru nodded in comprehension and, after ruffling his brother's hair, left promptly for school.

October stood, still and slightly stiff from the flight before. She her gaze flickered around the large, bustling building. She didn't like being in an airport. There were too many people, all doing their own things. They are all in the same place yet nobody acknowledges the existence of each other, save for occasions such as waiting in line. She shifted her weight from her right foot to her left, then back again. All this waiting was making her nervous. What if she was waiting at the wrong place? What if the home-stay family forgot about her? What if they were informed of the wrong date? Heck, what if she took the wrong flight and ended up in the wrong city?

Her thoughts were soon cut off by a voice, "Chen-san? Is that you? Chen October-san?"

October quickly glanced around to find a slim, motherly looking woman in her forties heading towards her.

"Ah, hai! Is this Kaidoh-san?"

"Yes, yes! My, you look even prettier in real life than in the picture," the woman was all smiles.

October blanched. Apparently the woman was all politeness, too. She recalled the scarily haggard face that had stared back at her from the washroom mirror a moment ago and decided that she needed to smile back at this extremely nice woman.

"Umm, thank you."

"Well, then, let's get you back to your new home!" the Mrs. Kaidoh exclaimed, her face as radiant as though she'd just adopted a new child.

"…Okay," October quickly followed after the woman, dragging her large suitcase behind her.

Author's Comment: WOW that was a short chapter. I am ashamed. But if you review it will become a great motivation for me! Please tell me how you feel about the story! (Flames are accepted but I'm afraid I won't pay much attention to them. Sorry."


	2. School Fun!

Author's Comment: Wow. I only posted up my first chapter for a fortnight and BOOM I get two reviews! I am teh happy. Thank you all for bothering to read my Mary-Sue like fiction (though I will try my best to steer my character way off the path of DOOM), and here are a few notes:

As KiriharaAkaya has been so kind as to point out to me, there were several mistakes that I have made in my (omg) first chapter. First of all, the Kaidoh family actually has names. But since I already fell in love with the name Hana (doesn't it sound like such a nice, mom-type person?), I didn't want to change the names that I already made up for this lovely family. However I do apologize to all those that are extremely irked by these kinds of… Offences. Feel free to click the back button and save yourself anymore trouble.

I also kind of mixed up the English and Japanese honorifics regarding the Kaidoh parents. I'm sorry for that (it was due to my laziness) and I'll try to stick to the Japanese ones more now.

Right and I changed the title from "October's Tale" to "October!". I'm not sure why, but I thought it sounded cooler. xD

Anyway. Now that these things have been cleared, on to the next chapter!

* * *

October put her last set of clothes inside the closet and sighed, plopping down on the bed. She surveyed the room she was in, ignoring the big suitcase that took up almost all the space she had.

It was a small, sparsely furnished room, just like her own bedroom in America. She sniffed the air slightly. The air smelt different, though. It had a musty, warm smell, as if it had only been recently cleaned. Her old room was cold and crisp, she recalled. Suddenly, October was struck by a moment of homesickness. The feeling of belonging flashed back to her, as she remembered all those times when she opened the door and found herself finally _at home_ in her own room. She gripped the bed sheet tightly and told herself to get over it.

Looking around the room again, October came to the conclusion that she liked this new room. Though foreign and slightly cramped, the smallness of the it comforted her. It felt safe, like a little world to her self.

Her thoughts were once again interrupted by two soft knocks to the door.

"Come in," she said, recollecting herself and hastily pushing the suitcase below her bed.

The door opened to reveal a smiling Hana as she guided herself into the room, "I see you've finished unpacking already. Lunch is all set, so come down whenever you like."

October stood up quickly and nodded, still feeling a little lost at the presence of the foreign language.

"Oh, and school has already started, which you probably know. But I can still bring you to the afternoon classes if you'd like. Unless you're feeling too tired for today?"

October realized that was her cue to speak, "Umm, ok. I'll go. Today."

Hana grinned, "Don't worry, they won't be too scary. Now come, I'll give you your uniform after lunch."

It was after lunch already and October found herself once again sitting in the Kaidohs' small, black car as Hana drove, humming to the song playing on the radio. After a while Hana felt obliged to speak to her silent companion.

"So, I see that you're going to be in first year, hmm? That means you're twelve, right? Well, will you look at that! You're one year younger than Kaoru and one year older than Kyo! What a coincidence!"

October wasn't sure why that was such a coincidence, but she nodded all the same. It's always better to be polite, as she had learnt a long time ago. The car stopped abruptly, and Hana smiled encouragingly, "Alright, here we are. Seishun Gakuen. Do you want to wait a moment while I park the car? I can walk you to the office."

October shook her head, though her shaking legs and stomach spasms were screaming at her to say yes. She cursed her fear-born politeness and tried to smile, "Umm, I'll be okay. Thank you."

"Are you sure?" Hana frowned, her brows etched together in deep concern. October nodded in confirmation, hoping fervently that her smile wasn't wavering as much as she thought it was.

"Well, alright then, if you need anything, just call my cell phone number," Hana said, a little unsure, as she wrote down her number on a piece of paper. Handing it over to October, she repeated, "Remember, just call my number if you have any trouble, okay? I'll be here right away."

October nodded again, taking the piece of paper. Then, after watching the black car drive away and finally disappear down the street, she turned slowly back towards the school gate.

Her stomach involuntarily clenched again. "So… Big," She murmured, staring at the school in front of her. Then, shaking her head, she took a deep breath and headed towards the entrance of the school.

* * *

Ryoma stared out of the window in boredom as the teacher droned on about something or the other. History classes were boring. He didn't understand why some of his senpais liked it so much. It was just about people buying stuff, cheating each other, and then killing each other because they were cheated. He sighed, watching the birds chirp happily outside. The Kanto tournament was coming up.

The class became louder suddenly, and murmurs and excited whispers were heard all around him. Ryoma turned around slightly and eyed his classmates. He must've missed something. Oh well.

The door opened abruptly to reveal one of the school secretaries and a small girl standing at the doorway. Ryoma blinked, and then let the usual passive look return to his face. He wondered if she played tennis.

"Class, this is Chen October-kun. Chen-kun, please introduce yourself to the class."

The girl looked startled, as if suddenly realizing where she was and what was expected of her.

"Umm," October looked tentatively at the rest of the class and gulped. Why are there so many _students_ here in one class? She cleared her throat nervously, and started, "Umm, hi."

No response.

"Umm, I'm Oct-" she corrected herself hastily, "I mean, Chen October."

"So… Yeah. Nice to meet you," she glanced at the teacher helplessly.

The teacher cleared his throat. "What do you like to do? Where did you come from?" he asked helpfully.

"I like to…" the girl trailed off, then started abruptly again, "I'm from America. Nice to meet you." She bowed quickly then turned to look at the teacher again.

The teacher sighed inwardly, "Do any of you have any questions for Chen-kun?"

A hand rose. "Hai, Satoshi?"

A boy with a monkey-like face asked, "Why's your name October?"

October looked a bit taken back, "Umm, sorry?"

The boy puffed out his chest importantly, "If you have any questions about anything, I, Horio with three months of middle school experience, will be happy to help you. And if there's anything else, Echizen here came from America himself. He'll be able to translate for you! And-"

"Thank you, Satoshi-kun." The teacher cut in hastily, "Chen-kun, you may go to your seat now. Behind Echizen-kun."

When the girl hesitated, the teacher pointed to said boy and repeated in an encouraging voice, "That's Echizen-kun. You're right behind him."

October quickly rushed over to her seat, wishing that she hadn't made such a fool out of herself in front of her whole class. It's just that, well, whenever she tried to explain her hobby to other people, she always earned strange looks from the others. After a while, she realized that she was a little embarrassed to speak to others about it.

She wasn't sure why that Satoshi person had asked the reason for her name, but she suspected that it was only a chance for him to speak out during class.

Taking out her history textbook, October sighed. This was going to be a long year.

* * *

Author's comment: I'm sorry for this super boring chapter! I promise, the next one will be much more exciting. Really! Please review and tell me what you think! Flames are accepted but will be discarded without much attention. Sorry peeps.


	3. New Classmates and Echizen sama

Disclaimer: No own. No sue.

Author's Comment: Okay, I just realized that I made yet _another_ mistake, this time in chapter two. (Gosh what is wrong with me?) I made the teacher call Horio by his first name, Satoshi, because I misread the Wikipedia info…

Oh who am I kidding? I mega-failed! And I call myself a Prince of Tennis fan! I'm sorry guys! This kind of horrendous mistakes will not happen again!

* * *

The bell rang out happily in a series of ding-dongs, and October was jerked out of her reverie. She had tried paying attention to whatever the teacher was talking about, but unfortunately he was speaking a little too fast, so she couldn't catch most of it. In the end, she gave up altogether, resigning instead to stare outside at the cheery little sparrows chirping along in the trees. She sighed, gathering her stuff. _Must be nice to be a sparrow._

"Hi!" a loud and happy voice came from beside her. Turning slightly, October found a girl with her hair in high pigtails standing next to her, along with another girl, the monkey-faced dude from before, and two other boys.

October blinked, "Umm, hi."

"You say that a lot, huh? This 'umm' thing." the pig-tailed girl commented before starting onto her introduction, "I'm Osakada Tomoka, head of the Echizen-sama fanclub, and this is Ryuzaku Sakuno, my best friend, also a part of the fanclub."

"A-ano. Tomo-chan, I don't think-" Sakuno was cut off in the middle of her attempt at saving her own dignity.

"And I am Horio Satoshi, with three months experience of middle school life as well as the Seigaku Tennis Club-"

"Oh be quiet, you! She already knows your name, so let your other friends get a turn!" Tomoka snapped, annoyed.

"What did you say, you-"

"H-Horio! Stop! You're scaring Chen-san!" said a boy with a bowl cut. He then turned to October apologetically and finished up with the introduction, "I'm Kato Kachiro and this," he pointed to a boy with a buzz cut, "is Katsuo Mizuno."

Katsuo Mizuno nodded amiably, "It's nice to meet you."

"Umm, nice to meet you, too," October answered, glancing at the people gathered around her uncertainly.

"So," Tomoka leaned onto the desk, "why is your name October?"

October was once again quite taken back. She thought it was rather bold of this Tomoka girl to just ask away like that. She fumbled with the clasp of her bag uncertainly, trying her best to ignore the various noises going on in the background ("Hey! I was the one who asked first, Osakada!").

"Well," October finally started, still feeling rather odd to be speaking of this to people she had only met, "I think it was kind of a 'whim of the moment' thing."

"'Whim of the moment'?" asked either Katsuo or Kachiro; she wasn't very good with names.

"Umm, yeah." October replied, feeling rather foolish for her parents' strangeness.

There was a short amount of silence.

"When's your birthday?" Tomoka demanded suddenly.

"…August?"

Another short amount of silence ensued.

"So you mean that your parents didn't even name you after the month that you were _born_ in?" Tomoka asked incredulously.

"Err, no. I guess not," She laughed weakly.

* * *

October stared at the list in her hand as she walked down the pathway towards the fields. She couldn't help but refuse Tomoka's (and, nonverbally, Sakuno's) offer on joining her for the short break. Yes, they were all very nice people, but secretly, she was a bit scared of such open welcome coming from the people she'd literally just met. It was quite unsettling, really. She sighed as she recalled her conversation with said people a couple of minutes before:

_"So, what club are you planning on joining?" asked Horio, eager to be speaking again. "I recommend the tennis club! You see, Seigaku's tennis team is one of the best, no, it is _the_ best team in the whole Kanto region, if not all of Japan! If you join, you will be-"_

_"A-ano, Horio-kun, I think we should probably let Chen-san decide what she wants to do." Sakuno spoke up for the second time in the entire conversation._

_"That's right, let Chen-san decide." Katsuo or Kachiro turned towards October and said kindly, "Is there anything that you're interested in? Like, a hobby or anything?"_

_"Or something that you're good at," Horio added helpfully, only to get smacked by Tomoka. "Oww!"_

_"Um," October ventured, "do I have to join a club?"_

_"Yeah. It's required, don't you guys have that in America?" asked Kachiro, she was sure it was Kachiro._

_"No."_

_"Well you have to join here." Tomoka said matter-of- factly. "Is there anything that looks interesting to you?"_

_"Err… Is there an Arts Appreciation club?"_

* * *

October stopped suddenly, remembering something. The teacher had told that Echizen person to show her around the school, and she was supposed to meet him at the tennis courts, goodness knows where that is. She turned back on her heels and headed towards where she came from.

"Tennis court, tennis court, tennis court…" she chanted quietly.

When she spot a couple of female students heading towards her, October headed up and asked, "Excuse me, do you know where the tennis courts are?"

The girls stopped looked her up and down slowly, as if evaluating her. October squirmed uncomfortably. _Did I say something wrong?_

Finally, after what seemed like forever, what seemed like the leader of the group spoke up, "Hey, you."

"Yes?"

"What do you need to go to the tennis court for?"

October was astonished, apparently everyone here at this school were interested in her business. "Umm, I'm a little lost-"

"Cut the crap. We know that you're supposed to meet up with Echizen-sama so he can take you on a tour around the school."

_How-_

"Listen," the girl leaned closer, "just because that loser Osakada approves of you, doesn't mean that I do. And also, just because you're the transfer student doesn't give you the right to stick to Echizen-sama twenty-four/seven. I'm warning you, stay away from him or else," she stuck her face closer and gave October a meaningful look.

…

_Are you kidding me?!_

October was just about to come up with a sort of coherent reply when the expression on the girls' faces changed. It went dramatically from angry sneers to frozen horror. _Do I have something on my face?_

"K-k-k-Kaidoh-senpai!" one of the girls managed.

October turned around to find a very angry looking guy glaring at the group of girls.

"S-s-sorry!" the group fled, leaving October alone with the guy.

"Fshhhhh." the guy made some sort of a hissing sound and left before October could say anything.

October stood there, slightly dumbfounded.

"Kaidoh… senpai?"

* * *

Author's Note: Yay!! Finally we have our long awaited entrance of Kaidoh and Ryoma! And the not-so-mysterious origin of October's name has also been revealed. I hope no one is disappointed at the lack of a long explanation. I was too lazy to search/make it up. What kind of fun will come up next? I don't know! (jk) Anyway, please review and tell me how you feel. Flames will be accepted and discarded upon reading. Sorry.


	4. Of Friends and Clubs

Disclaimer: I only own October and her family. No suing, please.

Author's comment: I'm currently really into disco music, especially Night Fever by the Bee Gees. Night fever night fever! We know how to do it! Gimme that night fever night fever! We know how to show it! It's so addicting!

* * *

October gaped after the retreating figure of her savior (?), "Kaidoh… senpai?"

_Is he…?_

"There you are," a bored voice spoke from somewhere behind her.

She spun around. The person was speaking English.

And there, lounging against a tree, was the root of all her problems, looking as if he was free of all worldly worries.

"That sure took you a while. Well, I guess you did almost make it to the courts," Echizen relented a little at her startled face.

October was at lost as to what to say. _Thanks. Jerk._

She shook her head. No, it wasn't this guy's fault that she was randomly ambushed by some really scary Japanese, dare she say it? _Fangirls_.

And technically she _was _supposed to meet up with him at the tennis court, however unreasonable the demand may have been.

Ryoma stared at the girl's face a little queerly. Was she talking to herself or something? He shrugged. Whatever, it's none of his business.

He stood up and began walking towards the school building, snapping the girl out of her little conversation with herself.

* * *

October played with the hem of her shirt uncomfortably. Her companion was almost as silent as she was, only stopping occasionally to point out various parts of the school to her. She was quite thankful that there was no pressure coming from this Echizen person for her to speak. However, it was getting kind of weird to just be walking in silence besides an unfamiliar person, especially for such a long period of time.

"Umm," she started. Ryoma glanced at her briefly. "What class are we supposed to be in right now?"

"English class." was the short reply.

"Ah." October was once again at lost as to what to say. _This is so awkward._

"And this is the third year hallway," Ryoma gestured vaguely towards a line of classrooms.

"Oi! O-chibi! Who do you have with you? Is that your new girlfriend? What about Sakuno-chan?"

Ryom sighed, "Eiji-senpai, shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"I' m going to the washroom!" replied the other boy cheerfully. He then turned towards October, and with the same amount of cheerfulness, asked, "What's your name? Are you a new student? Or," Eiji's voice dropped into a gleeful whisper, "Are you guys skipping class to go on a date?"

Ryoma sighed again while October looked at her senpai in bewilderment, "Eiji-senpai, shouldn't you be going to the washroom already?"

Eiji flapped his hand at Ryoma impatiently, "I'll go in a second."

"So," Eiji continued to grin at the frightened girl, "Are you?"

"Umm, no?" October replied, realizing that her companion wasn't going to answer for her. Eiji's face dropped, then brightened again dramatically, all in the time span of one second.

"So what's your name, then? If you're not going out with O-chibi here then you _must_ be a new student!"

October was impressed with this "Eiji-senpai"'s amazing intuition, "Uh, my name's Chen October. Nice to meet you." She said politely.

"Huh," Eiji frowned, "weird name."

"Thank you, Eiji-senpai. Now if you'll excuse us," Ryoma finally spoke up again, exasperated at this waste of time and his senpai's rudeness.

"Ah, wait!" Eiji called after the retreating figures, "I'm Kikumaru Eiji! Nice to meet you too!" He paused, then added, "Bring her after school to the practice, O-chibi!"

* * *

Ryoma headed towards his classroom moodily. Everything was such a pain. Now, he was sure that Eiji-senpai's going to go around spreading weird rumors again, even if Chen had already explained her situation to him. Gosh he craved some tennis at the moment. Ryoma turned towards his companion, "Hey, have you decided what club you're going to join?"

"Huh?" October stared back at him, startled. "What?"

"You need to decide what club you want to join and give it to Hasegawa-sensei by the end of the day." Said Ryoma, slightly surprised at the girl's dramatic response. She must've been doing her 'self-conversation' thing again.

"Oh. Right," October answered, feeling more than a little embarrassed. _Stop zoning out_, she told herself sternly, wiping the image of the clear, crystallite drop of water on the window sill clean from her brain. _No more staring!_

Ryoma stopped and rapped on a classroom door.

"Come in."

He opened the door unhurriedly and stepped inside the classroom. October scurried in behind him.

* * *

"Chen-san. Chen-san." _Strange. I wonder who they're calling. _

"Chen-san! _**Chen-san!!"**_

October snapped out of her daze. "Huh? What?"

"It's after school already! Come on, let's go talk to Hasegawa-sensei together. Have you decided on what club to choose yet?" the high-pigtailed girl, Osakada, probably, stood in front of her.

"Ah, Osakada-san?" October asked a little uncertainly, praying that she didn't get the name wrong.

The other girl waved, "Just call me Tomoka." Staring down at the still immobile October, she growled impatiently, "Come on, let's go!"

"Ah, hai!" October quickly stuffed all her books into her back and followed after Tomoka and Sakuno, who nodded at her politely as a greeting.

"Uh, Tomoka?"

"Yeah?"

"You guys, err, can call me October also."

Tomoka spun around to grin at her, "Sure."

"A-ano, October-chan, please call me Sakuno, too!" Sakuno piped up.

"Ok."

* * *

"So, October," Tomoka asked as she strode briskly down the hallway, "what club exactly _are_ you planning on joining?"

"Umm, probably photography club."

"A-ano, October-chan, are you really into art?"

"No, not exactly," October replied sheepishly. "I kind of just wanted to try it out. And I'm not exactly uh, _good_ at anything else on the list."

"So that means you're good at photo taking? That's just like Fuji-senpai." Tomoka declared cheerily.

"Saa. What is just like me?" a slim boy came up to them, smiling.

"Fuji-senpai! This is Chen October. She's a new student and she's really good at taking pictures, too!" Tomoka exclaimed while Sakuno made do with a small "hi".

"Really?" Fuji quirked an eyebrow at the new student, still smiling. "What an interesting name you have," he commented.

"Umm, thank you," October replied. She was starting to get a little more used to her schoolmates' straightforwardness.

"Fuji-senpai, October's parents just named her after a random month. She's not even _born_ in October. Can you believe that?" Tomoka demanded indignantly.

"Well. That is a little surprising."

October was starting to feel a little unsettled at this senpai's unfaltering smile. Thankfully, she was soon acquitted of said smile as Fuji bade goodbye, stating that he would be late for practice if he didn't hurry up.

"Umm, does Fuji-senpai always smile like that?" October asked tentatively once Fuji was out of earshot.

"Yeah. It's a little scary sometimes but he's actually a very nice person," Sakuno replied quietly, smiling.

"I see."

* * *

"Well then. Now that you've signed up to your club, Sakuno and I will be going to our practice, too."

"Oh, ah, thanks Tomoka, Sakuno." Said October earnestly, "Really, that was really nice of you guys."

"Oh, please," Tomoka grinned at October, "stop thanking us like you've just met us! (_"But I have!"_) This is nothing, okay? And stop being embarrassed whenever you're talking to us. Just ask us if you need anything, alright?"

"Yeah," Sakuno smiled, "Don't worry about the formalities."

* * *

October headed towards her club room, staring at the instructions scrawled messily on a small piece of paper. She was feeling decidedly happy.

_I've got friends. I've got friends. I've__** actually**__ got friends!_

"Friends," she tried saying the word out loud, and smiled. She liked the sound of that.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the tennis courts, Eiji was fuming.

"What do you _mean_ you forgot to bring October-chan here?"

* * *

Author's Comment: Hahaha I can't believe I wrote another chapter today. I'm on a roll! Finally I feel like I'm not just cutting these chapters off randomly. This was a pretty satisfactory end, for me at least. I think I'm also getting a little addicted to "lining" my chapters. They're so convenient, I just can't help it! Once again, please comment and tell me how you feel! Flames shall be ignored!


	5. Of Photography and Fluffy Cats

Disclaimer: I own October's family and nothing else. STOP TRYING TO SUE ME DANG IT!

Author's Note: Hmm… I think I'm a little tired after my little writing marathon. I'm also feeling a little emotionally drained. Well, anyway. Apparently, my story isn't interesting enough for people to comment on anymore (sniffle) but I'll still try my best!

* * *

October glanced around the dim room slowly, observing the people around her.

They were all minding their business as they went about the room quietly, getting different chemicals and dipping pieces of what she presumed was plastic into assorted trays, then taking them out again to stick into various machines. She'd understood from the club leader's brief explanation before that this was supposed to be the "Dark Room Day", where everybody were meant to develop their films.

Apparently the photography club consisted of cycles of photo-taking, developing, discussion, exhibitions, more discussion, and then starting all over again. She was obviously a little too late to join in on this round of "The Term", as the club members called it, but she was welcome to stay and watch, so long as she didn't disturb anyone or touch anything.

And so she settled back, and watched.

It was quite fascinating, actually. October had never imagined photography to be this, well, complicated. It seemed to require a lot of attention towards detail, quite different from the image that October conjured up in her head, usually of a person randomly snapping pictures whenever the subject of photography was mentioned.

She felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her as she recalled the club leader's incredulous look when she told him that she didn't even have a camera. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. I probably shouldn't have come here thinking it was all going to be a breeze._ She twiddled with the strap of her schoolbag, feeling slightly guilty and exceedingly troubled. _I'm imposing myself on these people, that's for sure._

* * *

"Saa, Kaidoh," a certain boy smiled at his underclassman, "I hear that you have a new student staying at your house."

Kaidoh tensed as he stared at his senpai warily.

"What? Who is it, Mamushi? Some other snake-ish person like you?"

"What did you say?" Kaidoh rose immediately to the challenge, eager to be away from Fuji's… Well, Fuji.

"Guys, stop fighting," Oishi sighed. Must this happen every day? "And Momo, that's not very nice. You don't even know who the transfer student is."

"Chen October, a transfer from America. Age: 12. Height: 150cm. Specialty: None. Hobby: None. Is currently in the photography club," The sunlight glinted off Inui's glasses as he snapped his notebook shut.

"Ah, thank you, Inui," The whole group shifted uncomfortably.

"Hoi hoi! That's October-chan! Oi, Echizen! Weren't you with her today?"

Ryoma froze on his way towards the courts. Crap.

"What?! What is this, Echizen!" Momo slung his arm over the boy's shoulders. "Keeping something from us, huh?"

"I was just showing her around the school," Ryoma mumbled.

"'Showing her around the school', eh?" Momo waggled his eyebrows suggestively and sighed, "Oh, the happiness of youth!"

"Guys, I really don't think that we should be just standing here, Buchou might come soon," Kawamura voiced nervously.

Fuji smiled, "Oh, don't worry. He said that he'd be a little late for practice today."

"Well, then!" Momo exclaimed, "Back to our little discussion!"

"What little discussion?" The tennis team spun around to find a not-so-pleased Tezuka. Uh oh.

"All of you, fifty laps around the court!"

"Hai!"

* * *

October steadied herself as she bid goodbye to her fellow club members. What with the long plane flight, the shock of a new school, and a foreign language, it was no wonder she was feeling a little woozy. The elaborate instructions for developing the film that her fellow members gave her were doing nothing to help her oncoming headache, either.

She grabbed her bag ruefully and headed out the door, only to be greeted by the sight of half a dozen guys, all carrying tennis bags and all staring at her pointedly.

"Umm, hi?" October recognized the Echizen guy from before.

"Aww don't you remember me, October-chan?" a redhead leaned forward enthusiastically.

"Uhh." October cranked her brain for any recollection of this person's name. "The senpai from before?"

"How could you, October-chan!" the guy pouted, "I'm Eiji! Kikumaru Eiji!"

"Right," she smiled weakly, "Kikumaru-senpai."

But before the crowd could assault October any further, a guy stepped forward from the group. He glared at her briefly before walking away, saying gruffly, "Let's go."

October stumbled up behind the guy, bowing slightly to the rest of the people as she passed them. She still had no idea who they were.

"Ah, Kaidoh-senpai?"

He glared at her.

"S-sorry but umm," she tried to catch up, "thank you for before."

He grunted, slackening his pace slightly.

"And, uh," October felt a little silly, but she just had to find out, "You _are_ Kaidoh Kaoru, right?"

The guy in front of her stopped abruptly. He turned around to give October what she presumed to be an incredulous glare, if such a thing was possible. After a couple of seconds of silence, Kaidoh said, still glaring, "Yeah. I'm Kaidoh Kaoru."

And that was the end of that.

* * *

Hana hummed quietly as she bustled around the kitchen.

"Mama! Is dinner finished yet?" a voice called out from upstairs.

"Almost, Kyo!" she smiled as she recalled the girl from this morning. "She's so cute!" Hana squealed, "Just a little shy, and a little underfed, that's all."

Suddenly, she frowned, "I wonder if they've been feeding that poor girl properly. She's the thinnest thing I've ever met!"

"What's the thinnest thing you've ever met?" Saoto asked, shrugging off his jacket.

"Honey, you're back!" Hana stopped briefly for a short kiss from Saoto. "It's October-chan. The girl who's staying with us."

"Oh. How is she? Personality wise, I mean," Saoto asked curiously.

"Cute! And a little shy, but that's alright," Hana beamed at his husband, "We'll have her chatting soon enough!"

Saoto laughed with affection at his wife's optimism, "Well, you could be right."

"Mhm! And they should be home any time now," Hana glanced from the clock to the door, "Speak of the devil! Welcome home, Kaoru, October-chan."

Kaidoh stepped through the door with October close behind.

"Tadaima (1)," he said and October repeated the phrase.

"Honey, this is October-chan. October-chan, this is Saoto, my husband," Hana smiled cheerily, indicating the two people to each other.

"Nice to meet you, October-chan," Saoto grinned, "Kaoru didn't scare you too much, did he?"

"Nice to meet you, uh, Kaidoh-san?"

Hana was right. The girl was really shy. "Just call me Saoto-san. No need for such formalities."

"Umm, thank you. Saoto-san."

Saoto turned around towards the stairs and bellowed, "Oi, Kyo! Get down here and meet October-chan!"

"Coming!"

A boy bounded down the stairs energetically, and October was struck by the resemblance that Kaidoh had with his family. Okay, him looking almost exactly like his father was reasonable enough, but his brother also looking like a younger replica of him? Weird.

"Hey," the boy said a little breathlessly, "I'm Kyo."

"Hi," she hesitated for a moment before adding, "I'm October."

"Alright then," Hana clapped her hands together briskly, "Time for dinner!"

* * *

Ryoma ran out of his house, ignoring whatever his father had shouted at him. He stuck his hands into his pockets and frowned. Where the heck can that stupid cat be?

"Karupin!" he called out softly, wandering around the streets. "Karupin!"

* * *

October found herself cursing mentally as she tripped for the third time. In front of her, Kaidoh paid no notice. One would wonder why, upon finally arriving home, would anyone want to come out into the cold again. October stared up at the answer in Kaidoh's hands, and sighed.

They were out of milk.

And for some reason, Hana decided that it was the perfect opportunity for Kaidoh to show October around the neighborhood after dinner. Personally, October thought that was a little unnecessary. She could've taken a tour the next morning, which was, incidentally, a Saturday. That way, she'd probably be able to see more and explore the neighborhood more.

But alas, as a home stay child, it's just better to stay off the bad sides of your home stay parents.

And so they trudged on in semi-darkness, with October wondering just _why_ didn't they fix their streetlamps when they could have, instead of leaving poor passerby's stumbling blindly along.

October stopped suddenly,"Kaidoh-senpai, do you hear something?"

In front of her, Kaidoh had stopped as well. They waited there, perfectly still.

And it came again. A soft mewing.

October was feeling a tad worried, "…Is that a baby?"

But Kaidoh was already heading towards the source of that sound. October had no choice but to follow him.

To October's utter relief, it was in fact _not_ a baby.

It was a cat. A cute furry cat.

A cute furry cat that was currently held in Kaidoh's arms as he headed back towards October.

"Wow," October reached over to pet the cat. It began purring as she rubbed under it's chin. "Cute."

She looked up to find Kaidoh staring entranced at the bundle of fur in his arms. It was such a strange look of disbelief and pleasure that she couldn't help but laugh.

"Should we take it home?"

Kaidoh looked up, as if noticing her for the first time. "No," he replied.

October blinked. "But then what are we supposed to do with it?"

However, the boy was already trudging away, holding his precious package close to him.

* * *

Ryoma clenched his teeth as he brushed aside a low bush. He had been through this street_ five times_ already and still no sign of Karupin. _Where are you dang it?_

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow. Ryoma spun around to find two tall figures, obviously not Karupin, heading towards him. He sighed. _Dang._ However, when the two figures came closer, Ryoma was more than a little surprised.

"_Kaidoh_-senpai_? Chen?_"

And there he was. Snuggled in Kaidoh's grasp and purring happily. Ryoma rushed forward, all thoughts aside as he opened his arms towards Karupin. The cat jumped immediately towards his master, leaving a startled and slightly disappointed Kaidoh.

When Ryoma had finished checking Karupin over for any injuries, he looked up at the people before him.

"Thanks," he said, sounding genuinely relieved.

"No problem," October replied, glancing at her companion when he said nothing. But he was already walking away.

"Ah, um, bye," October waved at Ryoma as she rushed after Kaidoh, holding two gigantic cartons of milk.

Ryoma stared a bit after them, then shrugged, walking back towards home. He was slightly curious as to how Kaidoh and Chen ended up so near his house, but he supposed it didn't really matter.

Looking up at his master's thoughtful face, Karupin purred.

* * *

1.) Tadaima: I'm home.

Author's Comment: Okay I didn't really explain a lot of the Japanese terms in my story (though I tried keeping it to a minimum), so if you're unsure about any of them, just (COMMENT xD) ask and I'll be happy to tell you.

Whew! That was the longest chapter I've written so far. I've worked really hard on this so please, please review and tell me what you think! You're opinions are important to me. (Yes, and I mean YOU, you sly lurker, you.) A lot of exciting things are coming up, so stay tuned for the next chapter! (Flames are accepted but shall be ignored.)


	6. Picture Troubles Part I

Disclaimer: I own October's family, that's all. No suing, man, no suing.

Author's Notes: Ok first of all, I'd like to use this time to thank all of you who have reviewed for me. You cannot know just how happy I was when I opened my mailbox and saw THREE REVIEWS today. Call me sad but that totally made my day.

Second of all, I'd like to thank my dearest friends Puccimochi and Valoir for staying up _**so**_ late just to come up with a proper outline with me for this story. I've gotta say, that really helped. So now, dear readers, you don't have to be worried about me being stuck on what to write BECAUSE I'VE GOT IT ALL PLANNED OUT!

Dude, this is the most organized I've ever felt in my whole life.

* * *

The riverside dike was a picture of calmness. The sun shone brightly from the sky, reflecting onto a blue rippling canvas filled with white fluffy clouds. A slight breeze blew, and October brushed her bangs away from her eyes.

A week had passed since October first came to Japan, and she found that she was already settling in quite nicely. Obviously, there would still be some random shocks as she looked at signs only to find the words printed happily in Japanese, instead of English. But all in all, October was slowly getting used to life at Japan.

October stared down at the camera in her hands and smiled. Who would've thought that Saoto-san was actually a photography fanatic when he was younger? She was lucky that Saoto-san had kept his camera until now, and had agreed to lend it to October.

Even though the camera shutters needs to be opened manually after every shot and the buttons are occasionally dysfunctional, October was glad that she didn't have to borrow one of her club-mates' camera. And she was also starting to find Saoto-san's camera quite comfortable.

October lifted the camera, focused on the water below, and snapped the picture.

* * *

Somewhere down the dike, Kaidoh started.

He frowned, turning away from the small figure standing by the water, and continued his daily jog.

* * *

"Hey October, have you studied for the history test yet?" Tomoka asked, opening her bento.

"Err, no," October glanced up at her friend in surprise, "I'd completely forgotten about it."

Tomoka rolled her eyes, "I thought as much. Well, Sakuno and I are planning on a study session tomorrow after school. You wanna join us?"

"Umm," October furrowed her brows. "I don't think I can," she said slowly while toying with her chopsticks.

"What? Why not?" Tomoka asked, clearly put out.

"Oh, it's not," October paused, then tried again, "I mean, I do want to go. But I kind of have to finish getting all my shots in for Dark Room Day."

"But October-chan, isn't that next week?" Sakuno asked, pulling out a chair beside Tomoka.

"Well, yeah," October replied, trying to avoid the irritated glares of her other friend, "But I just thought that I should, you know, get it all done first. That way, I won't have to worry about it for a while and can focus on studying. I could also sneak in a couple more shots if I find something interesting."

"You know, I find it amazing how after just _one week_ you've become this talkative. Remember in the beginning, when you were all "ah"'s and "um"'s?" Tomoka commented suddenly, apparently over her little bout of resentment.

Sakuno laughed, "I remember. October-chan was so cute!"

October grinned, slightly abashed, "I was a new student! In a new country! Of course I'd be a little withdrawn. And besides, it's not like you can say anything, Miss Stutter."

Tomoka smirked, "Trust me, you have _not_ seen Sakuno's all-out stutter. It's remarkable how she can make all those un-stutter-able words stutter-able!"

October laughed at Sakuno's slowly reddening face, "Sakuno's the Queen of Stutter!"

"And that's not it," Tomoka bent closer to October and whispered dramatically, "There's only _one_ person who can actually transform Sakuno into that ultimate stuttering state-"

"Enough! Enough!" Sakuno protested, "You guys are so mean!"

"Aww Sakuno you're no fun," Tomoka stuck out her tongue at Sakuno, but said nothing further.

October glanced curiously between her friends but decided not to press the subject. She was satisfied with just having two friends willing to spend time with her.

_This is already more than what I've ever hoped for._

* * *

"Yo yo wassup, ma brotha?" Kyo sauntered in, wearing an oversized tee shirt, big baggy jeans, a baseball hat and what looked like Saoto's sunglasses from the eighties.

"Err, yo yo yo?" October looked up from her homework to the boy who was currently plopping himself onto her bed.

"So how do I look?" Kyo asked, striking what October presumed to be the 'gangsta' pose.

"Umm. Very unlike your normal self?"

"Aww come on October! I need your opinion!" Kyo cried, messing up October's blanket horrendously.

"Can you first tell me just why you're dressed up like that?"

"Oh, it's for show and tell. I'm gonna talk about _you_, a student from America!" Kyo beamed, reminding October very much of Hana.

"…So you're dressing up like that?"

Kyo rolled his eyes, "Well, _duh_! What did you expect me to do? Dress up in your school uniform?"

October had a sneaking suspicion that Kyo was only using her as an excuse to wear inappropriate clothing to school, "Well, ah, first of all, you should probably turn your hat forward, no, to the side a bit. Yeah."

Kyo pouted (_in a very __**un**__-gangster way, October observed_), "But I thought Americans always wore their hats backward to be cool!"

…

_Do these kids ever watch TV?_

"I think that was in the nineties, Kyo."

* * *

October fiddled with her camera nervously.

Finally, it's Dark Room Day. October realized that she'd actually started looking forward to this day since the moment she started taking pictures.

"Alright, I know this is your first time doing this, so I've asked Miroshita to guide you through this, Chen," the club leader said solemnly. "Don't worry, she'd completed her procedures a day early, so there's no rush. Just take it easy."

October nodded gratefully, "Thank you."

* * *

"Oi, why isn't October-chan coming out yet, nya?" Eiji complained loudly.

"Today was supposed to be what the photography club called 'Dark Room Day'," Fuji explained, "It's basically a day where the club members develop their film into pictures."

The rest of the club stared at Fuji. "Umm, Fuji, why do you know all the procedures of the photography club?" Kawamura asked uncertainly.

"Oh," Fuji flashed his signature smile, "I had once considered joining the photography club."

"I think the more important question is: Why are we all standing here, waiting for Chen?" Ryoma muttered.

"Well, we never did introduce ourselves properly last time," Oishi mused while Momo rattled on in standard 'Echizen's got a girlfriend and he's too embarrassed to say it' mode in the back ground. (_"Why? Are you too embarrassed to pick up your girlfriend? Or is it that you were supposed to be waiting for Sakuno-chan, huh?"_)

The door opened abruptly to reveal an extremely exhausted October. She blinked at the guys standing in front of her, and was hit with a major sense of deja-vu. "Umm, hi?"

Oishi stepped forward politely, "Hi, Chen-san. We're sorry that we didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves properly last time. I'm Oishi Shuichiro, vice captain of the tennis club."

He paused for October to say "Hi", then continued. "This is Momoshiro Takeshi, I think you've met Eiji before already, there's Fuji Syusuke," Fuji smiled warmly, "You know Echizen and Kaidoh, there's Kawamura Takashi," Kawamura waved shyly, "and that's Inui Sadaharu. We're the Seigaku tennis team."

There was a moment of mixed voices saying various greetings, and when everyone settled down again, Momo suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, where's Buchou?"

"I think he had to stay to talk with Ryuzaki-sensei about something," Fuji replied.

"Well, then, let's go celebrate!" Momo shouted, "To the burger joint!"

"Ah, sorry Momo, but I have to go home and help with my dad," Kawamura said sheepishly.

"Me too," Inui pushed his glasses up, "I have to go and research on a new type of Inui juice." Everyone's faces turned a slight sheen of green at the mentioning of that juice. October glanced up at Fuji, the only other person who seemed unaffected by the words 'Inui juice'. Fuji just shrugged, smiling apologetically, as if he had no idea on what's going on, either.

"Well, uh," October said, looking over at Kaidoh briefly, "I think I have to go home now, too."

Momo sighed, "Well, alright. Maybe next time, then."

October nodded, "Maybe next time."

* * *

Author's Comments: Okay, I was just typing out this chapter when I suddenly realized that it's getting a little long. Sooo… I've decided to split it. So if you're reading this and cursing me for its abrupt ending, don't worry, the next part's coming right up. And by the way, that part with Kyo is by far my favourite scene in this story. Kyo is the epitome of awesomeness.

I'm also starting to really like Kaidoh's family now. Cuteness abound in the Kaidoh household!

Anyway, please review and tell me what you think! All reviews are appreciated (even flames, though not as much LOL)! Thanks for reading!


	7. Picture Troubles Part II

Disclaimer: I only own October's family and the names of Kaidoh's family, I guess. I'm neither making any profit out of this fic, nor am I planning to.

Author's Note: Ok, here 'tis! The second half of "Picture Troubles"!

* * *

The next day found an extremely jittery October. _This is the day._ October stared at the breakfast in front of her. _This is the day where I get to see the result of my photos!_

Hana gazed at the petite girl worriedly, "October, are you feeling alright?"

"Huh?" October's head shot up, "Wha?"

"Today's exhibition day," Kaidoh said suddenly without looking up from his plate.

"What exhibition day?" Kyo asked, plunking himself down onto a chair.

"Kyo!" Hana gasped, "What are you wearing?"

"I told you, mama!" Kyo turned towards Hana, exasperated, "Hello? Show and tell?"

"Don't speak to your mother that way," Saoto ruffled his son's hair while grabbing a piece of toast, "You know it's not polite."

Kyo huffed, "But I _told_ her!"

October stood up from her chair abruptly, "I'm off. Thank you for the meal."

"What? But you didn't even eat anything!" Hana trailed off as Kaidoh got up immediately as well and went out behind October.

Saoto chuckled at the two figures disappearing into the doorway, "Teenagers."

* * *

October found that she couldn't concentrate at all through class. The worst part was when the teacher in English class had asked her how to spell vacuum, and she'd spelt it v-a-c-u-m-e. October had no idea just why the heck they were learning about the word "vacuum" in gr.7 English class, and with the way things are looking now, she figured she'd probably never find out.

When the bell rang, October was one of the first to rush out of the class, hastily grabbing her stuff and cramming it into her backpack.

However, when she'd actually reached the photography clubroom, October hesitated outside the door. She stood there for a while, staring at the doorknob.

"October, what are you doing?" October whipped around to find one of her fellow club members staring at her quizzically.

"Oh, um, I'm just about to, uh, go in," October opened the door hurriedly and ducked inside.

* * *

"Hey, Echizen, don't you think there's something weird about Mamushi these days?" Momo said thoughtfully while rallying with Ryoma.

"No," Ryoma replied shortly, "Can you please pick up the speed, Momo-senpai? You're dragging on like an old grandma."

"Hey who are you calling an old grandma?" cried Momo indignantly. He frowned, going back to the topic he was discussing, "No, seriously. Especially today. I mean, he actually told Buchou to let him off earlier! Is that weird or what?"

Ryoma chose not to answer.

"Could it be," Momo grinned in excitement, "that Mamushi is secretly stalking someone at our school?"

All of a sudden, Eiji popped out of nowhere, "I heard the word stalk, nya!"

Ryoma felt the extreme need to throw his racket at someone, "Momo-senpai," he gritted out, "_Why_ would Kaidoh-senpai want to stalk _anyone_?"

"Because!" Momo retorted before turning towards Eiji, "So, Eiji-senpai, do _you_ think Mamushi's been acting weird lately?"

Eiji cocked his head, contemplating, "Hmm, I don't think so, nya! Maybe it's just you!"

Momo protested, pointedly ignoring his smirking kohai, "But what about today? He actually asked Buchou to leave _early_! Now if that's not weird then I don't know what is."

"Well, I guess that is kind of strange," Eiji began to rub his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe he's not feeling well," Ryoma pointed out, hitting an extra hard volley.

"Doubt it," Momo returned it with equal force.

"What's this about Kaidoh not feeling well?" asked a worried Oishi as he joined his doubles partner.

"Oh, no, Oishi-senpai, you see-"

"Momo, Echizen, Eiji, Oishi, twenty laps around the court!" There was a collective groan and Ryoma glared at his senpai resentfully.

"Hai!"

* * *

The door opened, and little clusters of the photography club members streamed out. They shied away from the glaring figure in front of them and hurried away, wondering what a tennis club member was doing in front of the photography clubroom.

Lately, there seemed to be a lot of them around.

* * *

October packed up her things slowly, putting the camera into its bag. She didn't look at the pictures hung above in her little area.

Once she was done, October hefted her bag onto her shoulder and headed out the door. She was a little startled to find Kaidoh standing there, glaring at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry; did you wait for a long time?"

He began walking away, "No."

October walked beside Kaidoh in silence, staring at the ground. He glanced over at her, but said nothing.

* * *

When they reached their house, October went immediately to her room, closing the door behind her softly. Hana stared after the girl, worry etched deeply into her face.

"Kaoru, do you know what's wrong?" Hana asked, rounding in on her son. He shook his head and went upstairs as well.

"Hey mama, guess what, guess what?" Kyo skipped into the house, "I-"

"Kyo, can you go upstairs and check if October-chan's okay for me?" Hana interrupted.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I don't know what's wrong, but she doesn't seem to be feeling very well," Hana stared into her son's eyes, "So can you do that for mama?"

Kyo nodded slowly, eyes wide, "Sure, mama. Do I go now?"

"Yes, dearie, but if she doesn't want to talk, don't bother her, okay?"

Kyo nodded again solemnly, "Okay."

* * *

October dropped her schoolbag on the ground and sank into her bed. She covered her face with her hand and stared at the little cracks in the ceiling through her fingers. They quivered.

October turned abruptly to her side, closing her eyes. _You should've known._ _You should've __**known**__ already. _

If only she hadn't gotten her hopes up.

* * *

_Everyone shifted from one person's exhibit to the next. October swallowed, feeling the rush of excitement and nervousness curling at the pit of her stomach. The other club members stared at her exhibit of photos._

_There was silence._

_October looked from one face to another. Why weren't anyone saying anything?_

_Finally, the club leader cleared his throat, "Chen-san, you __**do**__ know what we're trying to do in this club, right?"_

_October stared at him, the feeling in her stomach clenching into a familiar sense of fear. "What do you mean?" she whispered._

_He sighed, "Look, why don't we just," he paused abruptly, "We'll just overlook it this time. But this," the club leader gestured at the pictures, "please don't do it again next time."_

"_I-I don't understand," she faltered at the glare of one of the club members._

"_Look at her! She's making fun of us, taking these kinds of blurry photos." The club member turned and hissed at October, "Don't think we're just in here for fun. We take this seriously, unlike you. So stop messing around and__** leave**__!"_

"_Rosuko!" the leader commanded harshly, "This is unacceptable. Leave the room and come back when your head is cleared."_

_Rosuko stared at the leader incredulously, "How can you say that? She's just screwing with us! She-"_

"_Enough," there was a hard edge to his voice, "Leave."_

_Rosuko gave October hateful glare and, whispering quietly, "Nobody wants you here, freak," She stalked out of the room._

A series of knocks jerked October out of her thoughts. She sat up, "Come in."

Kyo's head poked through the doorway, and was slowly followed by the rest of his body, "October?"

October smiled slightly at the worried look on the boy's face. Sometimes she felt like the age gap between her and Kyo seemed to be more than just one year. Kyo was the light of the family, the youngest, the goofy child, something to bring respite into everyone's daily concerns.

"Yes, what is it?" October motioned for Kyo to sit down.

He sat down beside her, all seriousness, "October. Are you okay?"

October was surprised, "Yes. Why?"

"You don't really look okay."

Suddenly, October was hit by the urge to cry. Here it was, this boy that she'd known for little more than a week, and he was _worried_ about her. "Don't fret. I'll get over it soon."

Kyo nodded, "Alright then. I'll see you at dinner."

"Oh, um, Kyo," the boy looked back at her, "I probably won't be down for dinner," she attempted to smile, "I'm not feeling very hungry."

He nodded again, and was gone.

October buried her head in the pillow and felt the dam inside her crumpling.

_Get over it get over it get over it get over it._ She repeated to herself mentally, but as the words sounded in her head the tears continue to spill out.

October groaned.

_You are such a loser._

* * *

Knock, knock. October lifted her head tiredly, "Come in."

It was Kaidoh, holding a tray of food. October turned away quickly, knowing how terrible she looked at the moment. Kaidoh set the tray down on her desk and stood there, as if waiting for something.

"Thank you, Kaidoh-senpai," October said quietly, her back still turned towards him. He didn't leave.

October wanted to squirm as silence filled the room. _Why is he still here?_ She wanted desperately to ask him to leave, but decided against it. She was still feeling drained after her little crying session just now.

After a couple more minutes of silence, October spoke abruptly, "What would you do if you tried really hard for something, only to find out that you've completely screwed up and that other people really hate you for it?"

There were a few more minutes of silence. October didn't notice the pair of eyes staring intently at her.

Finally, Kaidoh answered, "If I know what I did was right, I'd keep doing it."

October blinked.

"Even if the world is against you, as long as you believe in yourself, you can continue fighting. It's not stupid. It's a way of life."

October turned around slowly to find Kaidoh looking outside the window. Moonlight splashed gently onto his features, adding shadows to where there were none before. October shivered. This isn't the Kaidoh-senpai that she knows. It's someone else, someone with a kind of eerie gentleness unfamiliar to her.

Kaidoh stood up abruptly, snapping October out of her trance. He glanced towards her, and upon finding her staring at him in open fascination, hastened his steps out of the room. He fought to keep the heat from spreading over his face.

October stared at the door, still feeling a little unreal, as if what just happened was all a dream. A foreign feeling rose up inside her.

It felt warm, very warm.

October picked herself up from the bed, and began to eat.

* * *

Author's comment: Okay, this chapter officially sucks. I'm sorry, I tried to pull an angst chappie and it totally screwed up on me. On a lighter note, just look at me, making up new characters left and right! Don't worry, most of them are unimportant. I just made it up because it was easier to write with.

Alright, I guess that, ultimately, I'm a little proud of the fluff(?) moment at the end here. Finally I'm getting somewhere! xD

The next chapter will probably be even longer than this one (with, hopefully, even more KaidohxOctober fluff), so I'll probably take a little longer. But no worries, I'll try to update again soon! So once again, please comment!


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